February Challenge

by Mark JW Graham – Vocal Coach in Nottingham, UK

Here’s something I thought would be a fun feature, a challenge for you once a month, where I pose an idea to you, and (if you’re game, which I sincerely hope you are) you give it a go…

This month’s challenge:

Learn a song in a COMPLETELY different genre to your usual selection.

If you like rock, try some RnB.

If you like classical, try some pop.

If you like musical theatre, try some singer-songwriter material.

These are not restrictive choices, just some genre pairs that don’t typically go together to give you an idea of the direction to go in.

Step 1: Browse YouTube

Whatever you normally sing, try spending 15 minutes browsing Youtube (or even my blog!) for suggestions that might sit outside your normal repertoire choice.

Step 2: Listen to an album or playlist on repeat

Immerse yourself in an alternate genre. Notice how the music and singers have to do things differently. Either longer held notes, or shorter/more staccato notes. Perhaps the timbre is more aggressive vs more genteel. Whatever you’re used to, different genre’s ask different things of your voice.

Step 3: Have a go

Then, have a bash at it. And by that, I don’t just mean sing it once and give up or remain satisfied. Spend a bit of time learning it every couple of days, and try to polish it to a similar standard as your other songs. You may love it, you may hate it, but every song has it’s own little nuances that can make even the most hardened ear go ‘ahhhh, THAT’S new!’.

You’ll be surprised what you discover about music when you really try and capture another genre’s little idiosyncrasies.

Some of you will find yourself still not especially digging the song, but finding there’s certain things that are tricky or even cool about the alternate genre. Some of you may even want to modify how you do some of your more established pieces based on the new things you find out about the alternate genre… and in some cases you may even find an entirely new genre you want to turn your attention to… I had that exact experience when someone suggested I check out some old soul ballads – SO wonderful to sing.

Give it a shot, see what you come up with.

Mark JW Graham - Mark is a high-end vocal coach and singing teacher based in Nottingham in the UK. He is known as the "go-to voice coach" by singers wanting to experience dramatic improvements in their singing voice in a short space of time.

With a client-base from around the world, Mark's high skill level as a coach, singer and musician helps him to transform singing voices and enhance their musicianship to new levels.